What is the point of all this? was the question Joe repeatedly asked himself during a lengthy hospitalization in 2013 (including 5 days in the ICU) following a sequence of falls resulting in a traumatic brain bleed that almost took his life. He suffered multiple seizures, physical, neurologic, and mental complications, and a significant dismantling of even the most basic cognitive skills. He was rendered disabled, not only functionally, but also professionally as an attorney. Disabled was not a term Joe welcomed, but it was one that required his acceptance in order to move forward with a challenging recovery. He soon realized that what seemed to be one of the worst parts of his life turned out to be one of the best! He subsequently achieved and re-discovered amazing things in a life that was almost lost. Upon his discharge, Joe had no idea what lay ahead nor if he was capable of overcoming the unfavorable prognosis by his physicians. However, he committed to a daily routine determined to rise above every challenge that his condition presented. With faith that had everything he needed to succeed, Joe set out to repair the damage that had been done. Initially, therapy was intense and productive. However, his greatest hurdle was to regain basic cognitive skills and thereafter, the more complex ones that stubbornly eluded him for what seemed like an eternity. Joe started writing simple thoughts to his family during quiet moments when he re-evaluated the life he had lived, and the one that was still ahead of him. This became therapeutic for a number of reasons. First, he realized that the opportunity to share so much with his wife and sons was almost lost. Second, it gave him a cathartic cleansing allowing him to deal with the silent frustration he experienced during a laborious recovery. Third, it gave him time to reflect and reconnect with the better part of himself that, somehow, had been misplaced over time. Finally, he developed an awareness and appreciation for not only himself, family, and friends, but just about everyone and everything around him. He understood there were positive exchanges that could actually make a difference in his life. He made a determined effort to connect with those around him. In the end, it brought out a kinder, more appreciative, forthright, and selfless person. Interestingly, the audience for Joe’s writings grew to include additional family, friends, and even strangers who have discovered them through a website he began in 2015. He discovered that the individual thoughts, musings, and reflections that he penned proved meaningful to others in ways he never imagined. This book is a natural consequence of that discovery. It is his wish that the topics touched upon such as Kindness, Looking Forward, Gratitude, Finding Happiness, and Hope will reach those who could use an infusion of optimism and hopefulness in a world that sometimes challenges our faith in the goodness of humanity. He will then have a greater appreciation for his survival beyond that which he discovered, albeit rather unconventionally.
